betta sorority

[AnthonyT]

i have decided to join the exciting world of betta fish and i want to start off with a betta sorority. i have all the necessary stuff to make the water nice for the fish (filter, heater, gravel, light, etc.[oh and i cycled it]) and i wanna know if this will work for my 20 gallon long tank:
8 betta fish
8 decorations(i made sure they were safe for bettas to hide in)
lots of live plants

is there any advice you can give me about being new to the hobby?
im about starting

[Fabian]

If you want to start a sorority be sure to use a larger tank about 20<.The bettas should all be females too.The filter you use should also be safe for bettas.
Good luck!!!

[lauralou]

I have a betta sorority, and I love it. That tank is so interesting!

I quarantined the girls for a couple of weeks, each in a 1/2 or 3/4 gallon container. Which I admit got a bit ridiculous, with 7 containers to keep sparkling clean... But during that time I got to know the girls and their individual personalities.

I didn't even try to put the weakest one in the sorority. I felt that she would never make it. She ended up in a 5.5 gallon with some neon tetras, where she is very happy. I did try to put the most aggressive one in, kind of against my better judgement. I pulled her out almost immediately. She was a shark! I gave her to my office mate, who is really enjoying her.

The remaining five are a perfect mix. They get along just fine. Sometimes when I turn the light on, I see that they are all sleeping together in a patch of floating plants. It's very cute.

So, I guess my advise would be get to know the the girls before throwing them all together, because some of them simply aren't suited for the sorority situation. I had already planned for that, bought a couple of extras, and knew what I would do with them if they didn't fit in that particular tank. (The pet store would have taken them back, but I didn't want to cram them back into a little cup.)

So that's how I put my betta sorority together. Hope it was helpful.

[Myates]

Sororities are hard for even experienced keepers, so keep that in mind when you start this. Also keep in mind you will need spare tanks in case the females can't live with one another, you will have to keep them separate if that happens (which can happen at any time regardless how they were getting a long previously).

With your plants, make sure you have a lot of plants that are medium to top of the tank in height- you should be breaking the line of site in at least 3 sections (two towards the back, one in front in the middle ' , ') to make it so when you look at the tank from one end you can't see all the way to the other end.
That is technically the best option to have a greater chance of success..
Good luck and share pictures when you get it up! Welcome to the forums :)

[Fabian]

Sororities are hard for even experienced keepers, so keep that in mind when you start this. Also keep in mind you will need spare tanks in case the females can't live with one another, you will have to keep them separate if that happens (which can happen at any time regardless how they were getting a long previously).

Yes some females are as fierce as males.Be sure to check the females for deformities before you start,also check carefully as some females may look like male pks.